Specific in Biological News

Researchers develop 'brain-reading' methods

... until now, there was little way to determine what specific mental tasks were taking place prior to the point ... localized areas of the brain are responsible for specific mental functions is misleading and incorrect. ... of the brain that are uniquely responsible for specific mental functions, such as learning, memory, fear ...

Grant supports LSUHSC research on how like cell receptor systems determine very different functions

... in how the generic ERK signaling pathway confers specific physiological outcomes such as proliferation, ... in treating conditions that are dependent upon specific growth factor receptors, like some breast cancers ... "Our studies might provide insight into how specific functions of a pathway might be targeted ...

Newly discovered gene fusion may lead to improved prostate cancer diagnosis

... gene fusions. "In the future, these fusions, specific to certain types of prostate cancer, may help ... is a first step toward providing patients with specific therapies that target individual cancer variants, ... findings will help doctors diagnose a patient's specific disease," explains Dr. Rubin. Novel Gene ...

A global model for the origin of species independent of geographical isolation

... species. In the second, an environment favors specific characteristics within a species, which ... evidence that species diversity arises without specific physical barriers," the study states. The ... study. "While the spatial environment may vary, specific physical barriers aren't necessary. Just as ...

LincRNAs serve as genetic air-traffic controllers

... ferrying proteins to assist their regulation at specific regions of the genome. "I like to think of ... chromatin structure is so precisely targeted by specific enzymes and not others. "By utilizing a ... proteins work together with lincRNAs to target specific regions of the genome." Standard "textbook" ...

22nd Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Sept. 12-16, 2009, Turkey

... neurotransmitter systems. The discovery of specific receptors in the brain has led to the ... the goal of neuropsychopharmacology is to develop specific therapeutic agents to regulate the biological ... that are required to develop drugs, which act on specific receptors within a neurotransmitter system. The ...

New test can detect both genetic and chromosomal abnormalities in embryos

... of not only detecting diseases caused by a specific gene mutation, in this case cystic fibrosis, but ... embryo without any prior patient or disease specific test development, which often delays patient ... that clinicians will be able to test embryos for specific genetic diseases and know that, with one test, ...

CWRU receives $5 million from Ohio Third Frontier Commission

... function of many organs in the body and provide specific new functions to treat many diseases." The ... IN will use microspheres tuned to release a specific amount of drug over a prolonged period of time to ... to direct umbilical cord blood stem cells to specific locations in the body to increase cell dosage and ...

CSHL scientists harness logic of 'Sudoku' math puzzle to vastly enhance genome-sequencing capability

... It can be used, says Hannon, to analyze specific regions of the genomes of a large population and ... or cystic fibrosis that occur frequently within specific ethnic populations. The team's new method will ... came up with the idea of mixing the samples in specific patterns, thereby creating pools of samples. And ...

Enzyme doesn't act alone in atrial fibrillation

... fibrillation, researchers bred a mouse with a specific genetic mutation in the calcium channel, making ... that a sudden increase in heart rate is a very specific activator of calmodulin kinase II. The research ... one amino acid in the genetic code and stop the specific calcium channel from being affected by the ....

Gene evolution process discovered

... known as REST plays a central role in switching specific genes on and off, thereby determining how specific traits develop in offspring. The study shows ... evolved to work with a greater number of genes specific to mammals, in particular in the brain ...

MicroRNAs grease the cell's circadian clockwork

... regulator of this molecular oscillator is a specific microRNA. The latter belongs to a class of small ... lies in their ability to inhibit the synthesis of specific proteins, thus allowing cells to reduce the ... Knowing whether viral multiplication is gated to specific times of the day would contribute significantly ...

Shatter-resistant brassicas

... "By artificially producing a hormone in a specific region of the fruit, we have stopped the fruit ... such as organ growth and patterning, requires specific hormones to accumulate in specific regions. This is the first time that removal of a ...

MSU discoveries upend traditional thinking about how plants make certain compounds

... scientists thought that plants always used a specific compound, geranyl diphosphate, to make ... it was known that monoterpenes are made in a specific way. But there were cases where that pathway ... involved, given the kinds of compounds found in specific plants. We showed that in tomato trichomes (small ...

New tool isolates RNA within specific cells

... flies, has created a way to isolate RNA from specific cells, opening a new window on how gene ... method should be useful for isolating cell-type specific RNA from other organisms, including mammals, and ... so that they would only express UPRT in specific target cells. The group tested the new approach ...

Random picks better than complicated process in gene identification

... money and a little frustration in searches for specific genes that shed light on the biological processes ... the journal BMC Genomics . When searching for specific genes in a tissue sample, there may be thousands ... are typically the most numerous. By adding specific enzymes, many of the overabundant genes are ...

MIT: Making waves in the brain

... oscillations are thought to be controlled by a specific class of inhibitory cells known as fast-spiking ... the first time that it is possible to induce a specific brain state by activating a specific cell type" says co-author Christopher Moore, ...

Laughing hyenas, wailing levees, the sound of cheese and blaring bagpipes

... safely and effectively deliver genes only to the specific parts of the body that they are meant to treat. ... the bubbles like a bell, popping them in a specific location and releasing the DNA into the ... recognize and bind to molecules on the outside of specific cells in the body, allowing the bubbles to attach ...

American Chemical Society Weekly PressPac -- April 8, 2009

... certain amino acids within proteins. However, the specific biochemical details have been a deep mystery. ... exhibiting differential phosphorylation, on 59 specific amino acids, suggesting that modification of ... sample by measuring the release of adenine from specific ricin substrates. Ricin-catalyzed adenine release ...

CSHL researchers explain process by which cells 'hide' potentially dangerous DNA segments

... with which a protein called Chp1 binds to a specific target site located on a histone protein that has ... of chemical "marks" that are added to histones at specific locations on their tail ends. These marks consist ... the tail of one of the histones, histone H3, at a specific spot the ninth residue, which happens to be the ...

ORNL, St. Jude track neurons to predict and prevent disease

... and neuron migration issues that are linked to specific diseases," said Shaun Gleason of ORNL's ... of video images at high speed, looking for specific patterns of migration, Gleason said. "For ... analyze their images, they look for several specific changes, but there may be much more relevant ...

Rensselaer receives more than $2 million from New York State to fund stem cell research

... of the first insights available into the role specific genes and biological molecules play in stem cell ... cell. Understanding exactly what comprises this specific niche could be the key to controlling the ... into the interior of the cell to understand how specific genes control stem cell function. He will partner ...

Cellular discovery may lead to targeted treatment for rare form of anemia

... Cincinnati (UC) researchers have identified the specific biological mechanisms believed to lead to a rare ... how cell death occurs in DBA and identified a specific step in the biological chain of events leading to ... believes DBA slowly evolves into cancer when this specific molecular checkpoint is lost. This results in the ...

The genetics of fear: Study suggests specific genetic variations contribute to anxiety disorders

... of Greifswald in Germany examined the effect of specific polymorphisms on how fear is learned and how that ... for learning, motivation and seeking rewards. A specific polymorphism in this gene results in higher ... these findings may indicate that individuals with specific polymorphisms may be more susceptible to anxiety ...

CSHL researchers pinpoint structure-building role for 2 non-coding RNAs

... enzyme that destroys RNA. "But," Spector says, "a specific RNA molecule that gives paraspeckles their ... ncRNAs and trigger their destruction. When these specific ncRNAs were depleted in this way, the ... that paraspeckles were warehouses for storing a specific RNA molecule. Only when the cell needed to ...

Gene mutation increases drug toxicity, rejection risk in pediatric kidney transplants

... active form. During this time, patients with a specific point mutation in the gene that helps break down ... adverse reaction group, nine children with the specific UGT point mutation developed leukopenia. The ... MMF exposure in adults can also be linked to specific variations in the UGT gene, according to Dr. ...

Tailor-made recombinant proteins in mammals

... CA A new way to direct chemical modifications to specific sites on recombinant proteins including the ... features into a recombinant protein." While a specific chemical change can extend a protein's lifetime ... up a protein. When the aldehyde tag appears at a specific site on a given protein, a chemical equipped to ...

CSHL scientists discover how 'companion' cells to sperm protect them from genetic damage

... shows, have the power to inactivate or "silence" specific DNA sequences. Thus they help set up gene ... Cell . Transposons are "revealed" in a specific pollen cell type The CSHL team made this ... transposons, resulting in their activation. This specific activation of transposons only in the "companion" ...

Cell 'anchors' required to prevent muscular dystrophy

... This is similar to a steel cables attaching to a specific point along a suspension bridge to distribute the ... let researchers manipulate gene expression in a specific section of adult muscle, rather than in the whole ... from the site where they are made to their specific destination. Ankyrin B helps microtubules align ...

The quest for specific anti-inflammatory treatment

... do not. This is why it is important to develop specific anti-inflammatory drugs which affect healthy ... i.e. they are less specific. Thus, there are no specific anti-inflammatory drugs for each cell type. ... the pharmaceutical company Novartis (Austria) and specific research teams such as that of Antonio Gmez-Muoz, ...

NYU scientists discover dangerous new method for bacterial toxin transfer

... bacterial species. "Phages normally have a pretty specific cell receptor that they must find to infect the ... Petri dish. If a phage does not form plaques on a specific bacterial strain, researchers usually conclude ... Dr. Novick. Most phages, however, require a very specific DNA sequence for attaching this packaged genetic ...

Hebrew University scientists reveal mechanism that triggers differentiation of embryo cells

... turn into more mature cells that can develop into specific tissues has been discovered by scientists at the ... more mature cells that can differentiate into specific tissues. Bergman is the Morley Goldblatt ... approaches to program cells in a controlled and specific manner. ...

Immunity stronger at night than during day

... Drosophila melanogaster, reveal that the specific immune response known as phagocytosis oscillates ... proteins upregulate restorative functions such as specific immune responses during sleep, when animals are ... response targeted by the Stanford researchers, specific immune cells engulf and destroy the bacteria ...

No place like home: New theory for how salmon, sea turtles find their birthplace

... "magnetic map" sense that helps them navigate to specific areas rich in food. Sea turtles and salmon ... elsewhere. "For animals that require highly specific environmental conditions to reproduce, assessing ... such as vision or smell, may be used to pinpoint specific reproductive sites. Salmon, for example, are ...

New model predicts hot spots for mercury in fish

... uncertainty by developing health advisories for specific water bodies and fish species. The NC State ... team, says the model can be used "to develop specific health advisories for water bodies and species ... could be used in systems throughout the country. specific variables may change, but the approach would be ...

Powerful online tool for protein analysis provided pro bono by Stanford geneticist

... activity. To do its job, a protein needs to have specific amino acids (there are 20 to pick from) in specific places. In particular regions of the folded protein, it may be crucial that a specific amino acid sequence be there in order for the ...

Reprogrammable cell type depends on a single gene to keep its identity

... activity causes an immature cell type to acquire specific characteristics of a particular mature adult cell ... cell types that require constant expression of a specific gene to maintain their identity. This current ... into BECs as indicated by the expression of specific LEC and BEC proteins. In addition, the newly ...

Systems biology brings hope of speeding up drug development

... conducted in highly fragmented groups focusing on specific pathways or components leading to drugs that turn ... tools of systems biology are being applied to specific areas of medicine, notably the SBMS (Systems ... wide level rather than focusing on individual specific components even when these appear to play a ...

MIT: Mending broken hearts with tissue engineering

... (HST). Each scaffold could be tailor-made with specific structural and mechanical properties. "We're ... dependent" meaning its cells are aligned in specific directions. The researchers reasoned that ... found that he could essentially "dial in" specific mechanical properties for the polymer scaffold by ...

Gender biases in leadership selection during competitions within and between groups

... for a male versus female leader may depend on the specific situation that a group finds itself in. ... the game, participants were assigned to a specific experimental condition: intragroup competition ... combination of evolved decision rules and culture specific gender role stereotypes." ...